THOUGHTBOX

The controversial ACTA trade agreement has been put on hold by the European Commission, as the body intends to pursue the aid of the European Court of Justice to decide whether the treaty violates any fundamental rights. This represents a fundamental step forward for us EU citizens, as one of the most dangerous accords that could have severely compromised our privacy is now being delayed, with several countries now refusing to ratify ACTA on those grounds. Which I think is a big plus given that it takes all 27 member countries of the EU to agree on ACTA for it to ever become the standard. Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Karel De Gucht considers that ACTA does not violate  the EU’s rights of freedom of expression and freedom of information, as " ACTA will not censor websites or shut them down; ACTA will not hinder freedom of the Internet or freedom of speech." So far so good - at least things are moving in a good direction with ACTA. We'll have to wait and see what the Europea...

Duminica, 15 ianuarie, ma aflam cu un amic pe Bd. Magheru in jurul orei 23:00. Dupa un ceai in oras, am decis sa vedem cu ochii nostri ce se intampla in centru. La sfarsitul serii, am regretat aceasta decizie. Dupa ce am vazut destul din proteste, am decis ca nu mai doream sa avem nimic de-a face cu manifestarile si ca era momentul sa ne ducem acasa. Pentru a evita multimea si actiunea de la Universitate, am luat-o pe Victoriei in intentia de a prinde un taxi la o intersectie. Intre timp ne-am si oprit la un supermarket non-stop, unde am luat mancare (pentru acasa, in general paine si altele pentru sandwichuri). La coltul cu Capsa, un grup de jandarmi ne-au oprit din drum si ne-au rugat sa asteptam langa cofetarie, pe Academiei. I-am intrebat de ce fac asta: raspunsul a fost ca ne retin un pic dupa care ne vor da drumul. Pe moment nu ni s-a parut atat de iesit din comun, dar pentru a nu agrava faptele am decis sa fim totusi rabdatori si sa terminam cat mai repede cu aceasta treaba. ...

As you all probably know by now, there be protests in Russia following severe irregularities with the recent Russian ballot. These protests started out as a response to flawed Russian legislative election process, and these aren't small scale events. Russia hasn't seen mobs this large since the fall of the Soviet Union 22 years ago. Here's what you need to know about the demands of the Russian people: freedom for political prisoners annulment of the election results the resignation of the electoral commission head, Vladimir Churov the opening of an investigation into vote fraud registration of opposition parties and overall new democratic legislature new open, democratic elections Russian protesters in Bolotnaya Square The Russian International News Agency cites more than 1000 reports of electoral irregularities (these include vote fraud, illegal campaigning, obstruction of observers, media bias, ballot stuffing, lack of impartiality in the election commis...